


Wormclaw's Wrath

by Lightfyre



Series: Contamination [5]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-20 16:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17625464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightfyre/pseuds/Lightfyre
Summary: Before he became the fearsome Dark Forest cat, Wormclaw was a loyal, noble warrior of ForestClan named Mouseclaw. This prequel to the Contamination saga shows how a series of tragedies broke him and turned him into a heartless villain.





	1. Allegiances

**ForestClan**

Leader: Rainstar- large, longhaired gray tom with blue eyes   
Deputy: Redpine- large, longhaired dark red tom with yellow eyes   
Medicine Cat: Silverdust- thick-furred, speckled pale gray she-cat with a feathery tail and blue eyes   
Messenger Cat: Windchaser- wiry light brown tabby and white tom 

Warriors:

Alderbranch- long legged dark ginger tom   
Antlerclaw- slender dark brown tabby tom   
Badgerfoot- black and white she-cat   
Beestrike- golden tabby tom with amber eyes   
Apprentice, Flamepaw  
Brackenlight- golden tabby she-cat with white paws   
Brightheather- light brown she-cat with bright amber eyes  
Apprentice, Sunpaw  
Brownberry- small dark brown tabby she-cat   
Cedarstep- huge dark brown tabby tom with a sandy colored underbelly and amber eyes   
Hawknose- large, broad-shouldered, brown tabby and white tom   
Apprentice, Mosspaw  
Icefang- white tom with dark blue eyes   
Apprentice, Branchpaw  
Lioncloud- longhaired yellow tom   
Marshpool- slender dark brown tom with orange eyes  
Mistletail- spotted gray she-cat  
Ryetail- golden brown tabby she-cat   
Whitedawn- white she-cat with pale blue eyes 

Apprentices:

Branchpaw- large dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes  
Flamepaw- dark ginger she-cat with white paws and amber eyes   
Mosspaw- small dark brown tabby tom with green eyes   
Sunpaw- bright ginger she-cat with amber eyes 

Queens:

Blossomnight- black she-cat with white spots on her back   
Mother of Redpine’s kits--Foxkit (sleek black she-kit with a dark red undercoat and amber eyes,) and Wolfkit (longhaired black tom-kit with yellow eyes) 

Hickorytail- light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
Mother of Marshpool’s kit, Mousekit (small pale brown tom-kit with orange eyes) 

Laureltail- pale brown tabby she-cat   
Mother to Antlerclaw’s kits--Buckkit (dark brown tabby tom-kit) and Doekit (pale brown tabby she-kit) 

Elders:

Gingerbush- longhaired dark ginger tom   
Hollyfrost- white she-cat with a black mark above her nose and green eyes   
Scarletfern- dark red she-cat 

 

**LakeClan**

Leader: Duckstar- dappled brown tom with a white chest  
Deputy: Applesky- dark ginger tabby and white tom with blue eyes  
Medicine Cat: Greenpool- dark gray tabby she-cat with dark green eyes  
Messenger Cat: Morningsun- longhaired ginger tabby and white she-cat 

 

 **CliffClan**

Leader: Flintstar- dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes   
Deputy: Shalefur- very dark gray she-cat   
Medicine Cat: Nettlefall- longhaired brown tabby and white she-cat   
Messenger Cat: Rootwhisker- small, skinny light brown tom


	2. Chapter 2

“Oof!” 

Mousekit fell over as Wolfkit barreled into him. 

“Careful! Mousekit is smaller than you!” Wolfkit’s mother, Blossomnight scolded him. But Wolfkit was too busy pouncing on his sister, Foxkit, to listen. 

Mousekit struggled to his paws and gave a frustrated sigh. He hated living in the nursery. He was very small for a four-moon-old kit; Wolfkit and Foxkit were the same age, but much bigger than him, and so he often got hurt trying to play with them. The only other kits in the nursery, Buckkit and Doekit, were very young and too little to play with. They were asleep in the corner of the nursery, with their mother, Laureltail, curled up around them. 

Mousekit looked down sadly at his paws. He wished he had siblings; he’d been the only kit his mother, Hickorytail, had given birth to. She’d gone out to join hunting patrol, wanting to stretch her legs, and he hoped she would be back soon. Hickorytail was the only cat who ever paid attention to him. 

“Incoming!” Foxkit leaped up into the air and soared towards Wolfkit. Her brother darted out of the way just in time, causing Foxkit to crash-land on the floor of the nursery and tumble into Laureltail’s nest. Buckkit and Doekit let out startled squeaks as Foxkit landed on them. 

“Foxkit, Wolfkit, go outside, _now!_ ” Blossomnight hissed sternly. “You are being way too wild!” 

“But it’s raining outside!” Wolfkit protested. 

“I don’t care—if you’re going to play rough, you need to do it outside!” Blossomnight snapped. 

Foxkit scurried backwards out of Laureltail’s nest. “Sorry!” she apologized as the pale brown tabby queen glared at her. 

Mousekit sighed. He figured he should probably go outside too—even if it was raining, there was nothing to do in the nursery. But, to his relief, as they left the hollowed out oak tree that served as the nursery, he saw the rain that had been falling in sheets that morning had died down to a drizzle. Mousekit felt sorry for Hickorytail—she and the rest of the hunting patrol must be soaking wet; but ForestClan had to be fed, no matter what the weather. 

Mousekit breathed in the sweet, cool air, and squeaked with delight at the sensation of the wet grass under his paws. Now that the rain was letting up, cats were coming out of their dens. The warriors seemed so large to Mousekit. Would he ever become that big? He awed at the rippling muscles under their sleek pelts. Those who were mentors began calling to their apprentices, who emerged from their den. 

_I can’t wait to be an apprentice,_ Mousekit thought. _Then I can finally start my training, and won’t have to sit in the boring nursery all day._

“Aw, look, it’s Redpine’s kits!” an apprentice named Sunpaw crooned, noticing that the kits were out. She turned to her sister, Flamepaw. “They’re getting so big! And who’s that third kit? I forget his name.”

Mousekit growled and flattened his ears. Wolfkit and Foxkit were always getting lots of attention because their father, Redpine, was the deputy of ForestClan. But hardly anyone ever acknowledged Mousekit. It wasn’t hard to see why, though—he was tiny, and easy to miss. Wolfkit and Foxkit both had striking appearances—Wolfkit had long jet black fur and bright yellow eyes, and Foxkit had a sleek black coat with a dark red undercoat showing just beneath it. Mousekit, on the other hand, had a dull, pale brown coat, bulging orange eyes, and a long, skinny tail was like that of a mouse’s. In other words, he wasn’t so attractive. 

“That’s Mousekit,” said Flamepaw. “He’s Hickorytail and Marshpool’s son, remember?” 

“At least someone remembers who I am,” Mousekit growled under his breath. He then looked around the clearing, hoping to spot Marshpool, his father. He hadn’t visited Mousekit in the nursery in a long while. Hickorytail always said that Marshpool was too busy with his warrior duties to come see him. But that bothered Mousekit—Redpine was the deputy, and yet he visited Wolfkit and Foxkit all the time. So why did he hardly ever see Marshpool?

Suddenly, Mousekit’s heart leaped as he saw a dark brown tom heading towards the nursery. For a moment, he thought it was Marshpool…and then his heart sank as he realized it was Marshpool’s brother, Antlerclaw. He was the father of Buckkit and Doekit, and was probably going to visit them. Mousekit quickly moved out of Antlerclaw’s path as the tom lumbered towards the nursery; the slender brown warrior was known for his short temper. 

“Hey, Wolfkit, Foxkit!” 

_Oh no,_ Mousekit groaned to himself. Coming over to the kits was a dark brown tabby apprentice named Branchpaw. He and his brother, Mosspaw, had left the nursery just two moons ago. Branchpaw was loud, bold, and loved talking about himself more than anything. 

“Hey Branchpaw,” Foxkit greeted him. “Shouldn’t you be going out with Icefang to train?” 

“He’s on the hunting patrol. He’ll probably train me when he gets back,” said Branchpaw.

“Foxkit and I have been practicing some battle moves,” said Wolfkit. “Watch this!” 

The fluffy black tom leaped at his sister, who nimbly jumped out of the way. Foxkit rose up on her hind legs and swatted Wolfkit across the face as he lunged at her again. He then ran around Foxkit and nipped at her tail, causing her to let out a startled squeak. 

“Hey, that’s cheating!” she exclaimed. 

“No it’s not,” said Wolfkit. “Remember what our father told us? Battles are always unpredictable. There’s no such thing as cheating, as long as each side is evenly matched.” 

Branchpaw snorted. “You know a lot of big words for a little kit,” he said. 

“Hey, we’re not that little,” Foxkit retorted. “We’ll be apprentices in two moons.”

Branchpaw then narrowed his eyes at Mousekit, who shrank back.

“This kit won’t be,” the apprentice jeered. “He’s so puny! Rainstar won’t ever let him become a warrior.” 

Wolfkit frowned. “I don’t think Rainstar would be so unfair.” 

“Rainstar will probably give him to Silverdust to train,” said Branchpaw, his eyes glittering with mockery. “Too bad for you, Mousekit--you’re going to be stuck in the medicine den all your life, getting stinky herbs all over your paws!" 

Rage flared through Mousekit. He pulled back his lips in a snarl to show his razor sharp teeth. Branchpaw let out a mrrow of laughter. 

“Aw, do you think you can scare me, little kitty?” he sneered. 

Suddenly, the sound of several paw steps made the kits turn their heads—the hunting patrol had returned. Mousekit saw his mother’s light brown tabby coat among them, and hurried away from Branchpaw to greet her. However, he skidded to a halt, his fur bristling in alarm as he saw that Hickorytail was leaning heavily against a black and white she-cat named Badgerfoot. One of her shoulders was covered in blood. 

“Mother!” Mousekit cried. He hurried closer to Hickorytail, but another she-cat named Brackenlight gently nudged him away. 

“Your mother will be alright, she just has to go to the medicine den,” she told Mousekit. “We ran into a vicious fox on our patrol, and it bit her.” 

Mousekit ignored Brackenlight, and hurried after Hickorytail as Badgerfoot helped her into the medicine den. At the entrance, his path was suddenly blocked by Silverdust, the ForestClan medicine cat. She was a beautiful speckled pale gray she-cat with bright blue eyes and a feathery tail. 

“I’m sorry, Mousekit, but I need you to stay out while I tend to your mother’s wound,” she said. “I’ll let you know when she’s ready for visitors.” 

Mousekit paced nervously in circles near the medicine den as the ForestClan leader, Rainstar, came strolling through the camp. He was a huge tom with long flowing gray fur, and blue eyes the same shade as Silverdust’s, as they were littermates. Mousekit felt intimidated just being near the big, powerful leader. 

Rainstar was then joined by the deputy, Redpine. Like Rainstar, he was also big and longhaired, except his coat was dark red and his eyes were a piercing yellow. The leader and deputy listened as the patrol reported the fox attack. 

“That was the most aggressive fox I’ve ever seen,” a tom named Lioncloud said with a shudder. “It just came out of nowhere and attacked us. It wouldn’t let go of Hickorytail until Badgerfoot clawed one of its eyes out. And even then, we had to attack it some more before it finally fled.”

“Yeah, I think there was something wrong with it,” said Brackenlight. “It was foaming at the mouth, and it smelled sick.” 

“I think we should send out another patrol to make sure it’s not anywhere near the camp,” said Lioncloud. 

Redpine nodded. “That’s a good idea,” he agreed. “I’ll take Alderbranch and some others to go look.”

“Before you do that, tell the apprentices that they are not to leave camp until we know for sure that the fox is gone,” said Rainstar. 

Mousekit sat outside the medicine den entrance as he watched the camp buzz with nervousness. Cats were murmuring to each other, occasionally shooting glances towards the medicine den.

“I hope Silverdust cleans Hickorytail’s wound thoroughly,” said Badgerfoot in a worried tone. “That fox definitely had some kind of disease.” 

Meanwhile, Branchpaw was complaining about not being able to leave camp. 

“I’m not a kit anymore! I’m big enough to fight a fox!” he protested. “I would make sure it never comes back!” 

“Don’t be mouse-brained!” hissed Branchclaw’s mentor, Icefang. “That thing was almost too wild for a group of fully trained warriors to handle. It would shred you in no time.”

After what felt like an eternity, Silverdust poked her head out of the medicine den. 

“I’ve finished tending to Hickorytail’s wound, if you want to come see her,” she said.

The medicine cat let out a startled noise as Mousekit zipped past her into the den before she’d even finished the sentence. He had actually never been inside here before; it was a dim cave made from a cluster of boulders, with light flowing in from a tiny space at the top. The air was pungent with the scents of many different herbs. At the back of the den, Hickorytail lay on her side in a nest of moss. 

“Mousekit?” she mewed.

“Mother!” Mousekit hopped to her side. Hickorytail raised her head and gave her kit a lick between the ears. 

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

Hickorytail nodded. Her shoulder was wrapped in a layer of cobwebs. Mousekit could pick up a faint scent of blood beneath the scent of the herb paste Silverdust had applied to the wound. 

“Was the fox scary?” Mousekit whispered. 

“Yes. It really hurt when it bit me.” Hickorytail said with a wince. “But I did quite a bit of damage to it as well.” She unsheathed her claws, which were stained red with dried blood. 

Mousekit climbed into the nest and lay against his mother’s soft belly. “I hope one day I’m big and brave enough to chase away foxes,” he said. 

“Of course you will be,” Hickorytail purred. “I know you will be the best warrior of them all.” 

Mousekit then frowned, remembering what Branchpaw had said. “But what if Rainstar won’t let me become a warrior?” he asked.

Hickorytail blinked. “Whatever gave you that idea?” 

“Branchpaw said I’m too puny to be a warrior, and that I should be a medicine cat apprentice instead,” said Mousekit.

“Oh, what nonsense!” Hickorytail flattened her ears, anger flashing in her amber eyes. “Branchpaw was just trying to get under your fur. Rainstar will let you be a warrior, I promise.” 

“Promise?” Mousekit echoed softly. 

“Promise.”


	3. Chapter 3

Mousekit watched Silverdust gently peel the layer of cobwebs off of Hickorytail’s wound. It had been a few days since the badger had attacked her, and the bite seemed to be healing. The once bloody gash was now scabbed over. The skin around it had been inflamed before, but was now a healthy shade of pink. Mousekit sighed with heavy relief. He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost his mother. 

“Can she come back to the nursery now?” he asked Silverdust.

The medicine cat nodded. “Yes, though she needs to take it easy and not go on any patrols until the wound is completely healed.”

“Thank you, Silverdust.” Hickorytail dipped her head. 

She and Mousekit stepped outside the medicine den. It was a beautiful newleaf day. The sun shone down from the clear blue sky, casting dappled light across the grass. The sweet smell of blooming flowers hung in the air. Wolfkit and Foxkit were chasing each other around the camp, while Blossomnight napped in a pool of sunlight. Laureltail was outside too, sitting by the nursery entrance as she watched her tiny kits totter around. Their eyes were round with nervous wonder, as everything was new to them. Buckkit pounced towards a beetle, but tripped on his clumsy kit paws and fell over on his back. Mousekit heard Hickorytail purr with amusement. 

“Why don’t you go play too?” she suggested.

Mousekit shook his head. “I’d rather stay in the nursery with you.”

“Are you sure?” said Hickorytail. “The weather is lovely today.” 

Mousekit nodded. “I’m sure.” 

They went into the nursery, where they both curled up in Hickorytail’s nest and dozed off. Sometime later, Foxkit came bouncing in. 

“Hey Mousekit!” she cried, her high-pitched voice rousing him from his slumber. “We’re going to explore the tunnel! Wolfkit says you should come with us!”

Mousekit shuddered. The “tunnel” was a passageway of trees that led away from the camp. They were aligned in two opposite rows, and bent towards each other, which gave the illusion of a tunnel. At the end was where ForestClan buried their dead. Mousekit had never gone near there—it sounded scary. 

“No thanks.” Mousekit shook his head. 

“I think you should go.” Hickorytail had woken up as well. She gave her son a gentle nudge. “Some sunshine will do you good.”

“But I don’t want to see a bunch of dead cats!” cried Mousekit. 

“You can’t see them. They’re underground,” said Hickorytail. “It’s a completely safe place, I promise. Go on.”

Feeling he had no choice, Mousekit slowly made his way out of the nest and followed Foxkit outside. 

“Last one there is a rotten mouse!” She zipped ahead of Wolfkit, who ran after her. Mousekit lingered behind, his legs locking up as he approached the mouth of the tunnel. 

“Ha, Mousekit is the rotten mouse!” Foxkit exclaimed. “Get it? Cuz his name is _Mouse_ kit?” 

“I’m not rotten!” Mousekit hissed.

“Sorry,” Foxkit apologized. “It was just a joke, I didn’t mean it.”

“Well, _I_ think it’s funny.”

Mousekit’s heart sank as he heard Branchpaw’s voice behind him. Turning around, he saw the apprentice strutting arrogantly towards them, with his brother Mosspaw at his heels.

“Go away, Branchpaw!” Mousekit growled. 

“Keep your fur flat,” Branchpaw growled back. “I just wanted to see what you kits are doing.” 

“We’re exploring the tunnel!” said Foxkit. “We haven’t seen the burial place before.” 

“Oh, it’s _super_ spooky,” Branchpaw said, looking directly at Mousekit. “Sometimes the dead cats come back to life and eat the living!” 

“No they don’t,” said Wolfkit, rolling his eyes. “Stop trying to scare Mousekit.”

“I haven’t been to the burial place either,” Mosspaw spoke up. He was a lot smaller and soft spoken than his brother. “Perhaps I could go with you?” 

“Yeah, let’s go!” Foxkit shot into the tunnel. 

“Foxkit, you gotta wait for the rest us!” Wolfkit hurried after her. 

Mousekit cautiously crept into the shady area, followed by Mosspaw and Branchpaw.

“What’s wrong, Mousekit? Are you scared?” Branchpaw sneered. 

Mousekit didn’t answer. The tall, spindly trees looked like long, gnarled claws. The thick leaves above blotted out nearly all the sunlight. Mousekit wanted to flee back to Hickorytail in the nursery, but he couldn’t show Branchpaw that he was afraid. He continued forward, until he came to the sunny clearing at the end of the tunnel. 

Mousekit stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t expected this place to be so… _beautiful._ It was covered in thick, lush grass. Clumps of bright flowers dotted the clearing, their colors radiating in the sunlight. Insects hummed from the treetops, mingled with the chirping of a bird. The ground was full of foliage-covered humps, where deceased cats rested below. But aside from those, everything here was very alive.

“Butterflies!” Foxkit squealed, noticing a group of the colorful creatures fluttering in the air. She sprang into the air, swiping at them and causing them to scatter. 

“I heard that the most important cats, like leaders and deputies, are buried towards the center,” said Mosspaw. 

Mousekit noticed a tiny lump in the ground a few tail-lengths from him. “Are kits buried here too?” he breathed. 

“Yeah, that’s where my sister Chervilkit is buried,” said Mosspaw sadly. “You probably don’t remember her, Mousekit. She was born very weak, and only lived for a few moons.”

“And over here is where an apprentice is buried,” said Branchpaw, pointing to another grave. “His name was Stupidpaw. He was so stupid that one day he jumped right into the jaws of a fox.”

Mousekit narrowed his eyes. “That didn’t happen,” he said. “You’re just trying to scare me.”

“No, it really did happen.” Branchpaw’s eyes gleamed tauntingly. “There are foxes hiding all over the forest. You better watch out when you become an apprentice and are allowed to leave the camp—one could sneak up on you at any moment and eat you!”

“Or one might eat _you,_ ” Mousekit retorted.

Branchpaw bristled in response. He opened his mouth to reply, but then Foxkit cried out, “Hey, look what’s up there!” 

The little black she-cat was gazing up at an object hanging from high up in a tree. Everyone gathered around for a closer look. The thing was round and golden in color. Its texture seemed strange—little holes perforated its surface, in which some sort of fluid oozed from. But the most noticeable thing was that a cloud of tiny, buzzing creatures were hovering around it. 

“Oh, that’s a beehive!” Mosspaw exclaimed. “My mentor Hawknose showed me one once. That’s where bees make honey.” 

“Those are bees?” said Mousekit. He stood up on his hind legs to try to get an even closer look. He’d heard of bees before, but had never seen any. 

“What’s honey?” Foxkit asked. 

Branchpaw snorted. “You kits sure are dumb. Honey is the sweet stuff that bees make.”

“So you can _eat_ it!?” Foxkit’s eyes grew wide.

“That’s what Hawknose said,” said Mosspaw. “He told me that Silverdust keeps some honey in her den to cure sore throats. But it’s difficult to get near beehives, because bees are very protective of them, and they’ll sting any creature that tries to get their honey. Silverdust got some from one that was abandoned.” 

“I bet _I_ could get some honey for us to eat,” said Branchpaw, puffing out his chest. “I’m not afraid of some tiny little bees.”

Mosspaw rapidly shook his head. “No, don’t! Hawknose says that when they get angry, they attack as a swarm. And their stings _really_ hurt.”

“But we’re warriors,” said Branchpaw. “We shouldn’t be afraid of anything.”

Mosspaw narrowed his green eyes at his brother. “That doesn’t mean we should do stupid things. And we’re not warriors _yet_ —we’re still apprentices.”

“So?” snapped Branchpaw. “With how quickly my training is going, I’ll be a warrior very soon!”

“Unless you get attacked by the bees and fall out of the tree to your death.” Mousekit believed he had made that retort in his head, until everyone turned to stare at him. 

“Why don’t _you_ go get the honey instead?” Branchpaw lashed his tail. “If you do that, then I’ll respect you as a real Clan cat, and I won’t make fun of you anymore.”

“Really!?” Mousekit exclaimed. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Wolfkit, shaking his head. “We should go back to camp—”

“I’ll do it!” The need to impress his Clan mates overpowered Mousekit’s fear. 

Branchpaw’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t expected Mousekit to accept the challenge. “You will?”

“Yes.” Mousekit hurried over to the tree and hooked his claws into the bark. He’d climbed a few trees before, but never to the top. This one was so tall that staring up the trunk made him dizzy, but he was determined to get up to the beehive. The bark was rough, with a lot of ridges to use as holds. Before Mousekit knew it, he was several tail-lengths off the ground. 

_I’m doing it! Mama will be so proud!_

After climbing some more, he looked down at his Clan mates. To his surprise, they looked quite small from where he was. A twinge of fear flickered through him. 

“Mousekit, come down!” Wolfkit cried. “You’re going to get hurt!”

Mosspaw and Foxkit were staring up at him with mingled expressions of awe and fear. Next to them, Branchpaw had an amused look in his eyes, as if he were waiting for Mousekit to get scared at any moment and scramble back to the ground. 

With a heave, Mousekit pulled himself even further up the trunk. The buzzing from the bees was much louder now. The honeycomb was quite large—about the size of a full grown cat. A sweet scent wafted from it, which Mousekit guessed was from the honey. The bees were rapidly crawling in and out of its holes, as if hard at work making it. 

Cautiously, he climbed closer to the beehive, until he could see the bees swarming around it up close. He gasped when he saw that the insects seemed to have fur. They were like fuzzy little clouds with spindly legs sticking out. Their pelts were striped with gold and black, and their huge, bulging eyes took up most of their heads. Mousekit was watching them so intently that he didn’t see one of them fly at his paw.

“Ow!” he screeched as a burst of hot pain seared through it. His hurt paw lost grip on the trunk, causing him to slide down a whisker-length. Before Mousekit could regain his grip, more bees struck at him. It felt as though invisible thorns were jabbing into his skin. In the midst of the agony, he remembered his mission, and reached out towards the beehive with a trembling, swollen paw, trying to catch some of the golden liquid dripping off of it…

A bee flew in his face, stinging him between the eyes. With a frightened screech, Mousekit lost his grip on the tree entirely, and went plummeting downwards. The ground was coming up to meet him very, very quickly—in just a few moments, he would hit it and die. 

Suddenly, he felt teeth in his scruff, stopping his fall. Whoever had caught him then landed to the ground, with Mousekit swinging from their jaws. The terrified little tom slowly opened his eyes as he was set down on the ground. Looking up, he saw Redpine towering over him. 

“What were you thinking?” the deputy growled, lashing his bushy tail. His yellow eyes smoldered furiously. “You could have been killed!”

Before Mousekit could stutter an apology, Hickorytail came rushing over to him.

“My kit!” she cried, pulling him close with a paw and sniffing him all over. “Oh, Mousekit, why did you do that!? Surely I’ve told you before not go near bees!?” 

“Branchpaw dared him to climb up and get some honey from the hive,” Wolfkit spoke up. “I’m sorry, Mousekit, but I ran and got Redpine. I was afraid you’d fall out and get hurt.” 

“You’re lucky you’re not seriously hurt,” Redpine’s voice was still stern. “If Wolfkit hadn’t run and gotten me, that fall would have killed you.”

“Th—thanks, Wolfkit,” Mousekit choked out. In spite of his fear and shame, he was grateful for the black tom-kit’s actions.

“You’d better get your son to the medicine den, Hickorytail,” said Redpine. He then glared at Branchpaw. “As for you, I’ll discuss with your mentor what a fitting punishment for you should be.”

“But it’s not my fault!” Branchpaw exclaimed. “I didn’t think Mousekit would be stupid enough to actually climb the tree!”

“But he got the idea from you,” Redpine hissed. “You’re an apprentice and he’s a kit—so you should know better than him.” 

Mousekit was taken to the medicine den, where Silverdust began chewing up blackberry leaves to treat his stings. But what hurt him even more than the throbbing welts on his face and legs was his mother’s angry face. She sat by the medicine den wall, tapping her tail sternly. 

“I’m very disappointed in you, Mousekit,” said Hickorytail. “You know better than to do such a dangerous thing.”

“I’m sorry.” Mousekit’s voice was barely a whisper. He hung his head, unable to meet his mother’s gaze any longer. “I just wanted to impress everybody by doing something brave.”

“That wasn’t brave,” said Hickorytail curtly. “That was reckless. Being brave doesn’t mean getting yourself into danger—it means you fight when danger comes to you.”

Mousekit stared down at the floor of the den as Silverdust gently licked the blackberry leaf poultice onto his wounds. Instantly, the stinging began to fade, but he still felt terrible. 

“I won’t do it again,” he murmured. “I’m sorry, Mama.”

To his shock, Hickorytail came over and licked him on the head. 

“I don’t mean to be cruel,” she said, the anger in her voice disappearing. “I was just scared. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if Wolfkit hadn’t gotten Redpine.”

As if sensing that the two of them needed time alone, Silverdust said, “I should go check on the elders now. Gingerbush was complaining of a bellyache this morning. Come get me if you need anything, Mousekit.”

Once she left the den, Mousekit curled up against Hickorytail’s chest, burying his face in her soft fur. 

“Oh, my kit,” she sighed, gently nuzzling his head. “I know that Branchpaw makes fun of you, but you just need to ignore him. You don’t have to do dangerous things to prove your worth to this Clan. I know you’ll be a great warrior.”

Mousekit purred and closed his eyes, content washing over him as Hickorytail wrapped her forelegs around his small body and held him close. 

“Thanks, Mama,” he muttered. “I know I will.”


	4. Chapter 4

Mousekit was climbing the tallest tree in the world. It was so tall that the cats down below looked like ants. All of ForestClan was watching him climb to the giant beehive at the top of the tree to get some delicious honey that would feed everyone through the harsh moons of leafbare. He’d be hailed as a hero!

Suddenly, another cat scurried up the trunk past him. It was Branchpaw.

“Give it up, Mousekit,” he sneered. “ _I’m_ going to be the one who gets the honey, not you. Go back to your mother in the nursery.”

That taunt only made Mousekit climb harder. He scrabbled past Branchpaw, digging his claws deep into the bark and hoisting himself up higher and higher, until finally, his head was just a whisker-length below the base of the beehive. It was so huge that it blocked out the sun. Bees were crawling all over it, humming busily. 

Mousekit looked down. To his great amusement, he saw Branchclaw easing his way down the trunk towards the ground. He’d gotten scared and turned back! 

_I’m much braver than him!_ Mousekit thought proudly. 

A large glob of honey was precariously dangling from the edge of the hive, threatening to plummet to the ground at any moment. Mousekit reached out grabbed it with his paw. As soon as he did that, a cloud of bees swarmed around him. He had no time to react before they all began to sting him at once. There were bees in his eyes, in his ears and mouth—everywhere. They buzzed viciously, as if demanding their honey back. Involuntarily, Mousekit lashed out with his claws—but doing so caused him to let go of the tree.

Next thing he knew, he was tumbling down through the air, with bees still clinging to his pelt. The world became a dizzying blur. Mousekit screamed and thrashed his limbs, desperate to grab on to something, but there was nothing but empty air. 

“MAMA!” he yowled, jolting awake in the nursery. 

Hickorytail didn’t stir. The flaming heat of her pelt and smell of sickness coming off of her made Mousekit instantly forget his nightmare. 

“Mama!” he cried. “Wake up!”

Hickorytail groaned weakly. In the past few days, she’d complained of feeling a bit dizzy and fatigued. But now she seemed very ill. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t move. She muttered something incoherent as Mousekit touched his nose to hers. A steady stream of saliva dripped from her jaws, creating in a pool in her nest. 

“Laureltail!” Mousekit cried.

“What’s wrong?” Lauretail gasped, jerking awake in her nest.

“Mama is sick!” Mousekit told her. “She won’t wake up!”

Laureltail hurried over. 

“Hickorytail?” she said, trying to shake the other queen awake. When she did not respond, Laureltail turned to Mousekit.

“Stay here with my kits—I’m getting Silverdust.” There was a sharp edge of fear to her voice. Laureltail quickly bounded out of the nursery. 

“Mama, please talk to me!” Mousekit begged Hickorytail.

His mother only let out a faint moan. Soon, Laureltail returned with Silverdust. The medicine cat sniffed at Hickorytail’s pelt, her blue eyes widening in alarm. 

“Hickorytail?” she said steadily. “Could you try to stand up so I can take you to the medicine den?”

At first, the tabby queen didn’t seem to have heard Silverdust. But then, she slowly pushed herself up with her front paws. However, her legs were trembling violently, and she quickly fell back down.

“Hurts…to…move,” Hickorytail gasped. Her words were slurred, as if she were having trouble speaking. Her sides heaved in and out rapidly, with odd-sounding breaths.

“Okay, Laureltail, I’m going to need you to help me carry her out,” said Silverdust. “Please stay back, Mousekit.” 

Mousekit watched helplessly as Silverdust and Laureltail worked together to heave Hickorytail out of her nest and drape her across their backs. She let out low, deep moans of pain with every movement. Her legs hung limply off of Laureltail’s back. At last, they carried the sick queen out. Mousekit was about to follow them when a rustling sound behind him made him remember the younger kits. 

“What’s wrong with Hickorytail?” Doekit squeaked. She and Buckkit were peering out of the nest with round, scared eyes.

“I don’t know,” said Mousekit. “But Silverdust will make her better, I’m sure of it.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Laureltail returned.

“How is she!?” Mousekit instantly asked.

The grim look in Laureltail’s eyes made his stomach churn.

“She’s very ill,” she replied. “Silverdust doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s going to try different herbs.”

Mousekit hurried out of the nursery towards the medicine den. Everything seemed fairly normal outside—Blossomnight and her kits had woken up earlier than the others. She was sunning herself while watching Wolfkit and Foxkit play with Redpine. They clung to their father’s back as he stomped around like a badger. Meanwhile, the dawn patrol was returning and depositing prey on the fresh-kill pile. However, a small group of cats had gathered near the medicine den, murmuring anxiously among themselves. Mousekit crept closer to hear them. 

“I _knew_ something was wrong with that fox that bit her,” whispered Badgerfoot. “Oh, StarClan, I was afraid of this.”

Alarm caused Mousekit’s tail to stand up straight. He’d forgotten about the fox—it had been a moon since that incident. Heart hammering, Mousekit darted for the medicine den entrance. 

“Mousekit, stay out!” Silverdust’s voice came from inside, sharp and worried. “I don’t know if your mother is contagious or not.” 

“I don’t care! I have to see her!” he wailed. He yelped and struggled as a warrior named Brightheather grabbed him gently but firmly by the scruff, and dragged him away. 

“Get off me!” he snarled, swiping his claws towards Brightheather’s face. 

“What’s going on?” 

Mousekit froze at the sound of his father’s voice. Marshpool, who was among the cats that had just returned from patrolling, was staring at him with confusion. 

“Hickorytail is sick!” Mousekit cried. “She’s all weak and drooling everywhere!” 

Marshpool’s orange eyes flashed with alarm. Mousekit expected him to hurry to the medicine den to see his mate, but he stood still. Marshpool’s brother, Antlerclaw, then came over and told him the rest of the details. 

“That’s a pity,” Marshpool sighed. “I hope Silverdust can help her.”

The dark brown tom then turned towards the fresh-kill pile and nosed through it for something to eat. 

“Aren’t you going to visit Hickorytail?” Mousekit asked him in a quivering voice. 

Marshpool twitched, as if Mousekit’s words had startled him. He looked over his shoulder and said, “Silverdust is busy making her better. I’d best not get in her way.”

“But she’s your mate!” Mousekit cried. He was surprised and confused by the sudden anger building in him. 

“Mousekit, come back to the nursery.” Laureltail padded up to him, speaking gently. “Silverdust will let us know as soon as she figures out what’s wrong with your mother.” 

Wrapping her tail gently around Mousekit’s shoulders, she led him back to the nursery. He reluctantly followed her. 

“Why don’t you play with Wolfkit and Foxkit?” suggested Blossomnight as they passed her. 

“I don’t want to,” Mousekit mumbled. He sat down by the nursery entrance, crouching in the shade as he watched Wolfkit and Foxkit tumble around. Redpine had left them to go organize another patrol. Meanwhile, the crowd around the medicine den was dissipating. Marshpool sat with Lioncloud and a she-cat named Ryetail, talking and sharing fresh kill. 

Anger flashed through Mousekit. Everyone was acting like things were normal, as if Hickorytail wasn’t possibly dying. Even Marshpool, who was her mate, didn’t seem to care. 

_I hate this Clan,_ he snarled silently.

Mousekit wasn’t aware that he’d dozed off until Silverdust gently shook him. He jolted awake with a gasp. Judging by the long afternoon shadows that were cast across the camp, he’d been asleep for quite a while. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Silverdust spoke quietly. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness. “Mousekit, I’m afraid your mother is very ill. She has a nasty fever, but I can’t get her to swallow any herbs. I hate to tell you this, but…I think she’s going to die.”

Mousekit took off across the camp in a flash, barely hearing Silverdust’s cry for him to come back. He leaped through the entrance of the medicine den and scrambled towards the nest where Hickorytail lay. 

“Mama?” he whispered.

She was lying on her side, with her eyes closed. Save for the rise and fall of her flank, Hickorytail seemed dead. Mousekit could feel the heat of her fever without even touching her. Thick globs of foam were oozing from her jaws. Her scent was barely detectable under the heavy stench of sickness. 

“Mama, I’m here.” Mousekit reached out with a paw and gently touched her shoulder.

Hickorytail suddenly sprang to life. In a flash, she rose up in her nest with an ear-grating screech. Mousekit jumped back. His mother was staring at him with bright, wild eyes. Foam dripped from her twitching jaws.

“Mama...” Mousekit breathed. “It’s just me.”

Hickorytail let out a bizarre yowl. It sounded as though she were being strangled. Her amber eyes rolled in her head. And then, she charged at Mousekit. 

“HELP!” he screamed, bolting from the medicine den. “HELP, SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH MY MAMA!”

Hickorytail was just a whisker-length behind him. He could feel her hot breath on his tail. He leaped towards a tree and frantically scrambled up the bark. Hickorytail’s jaws snapped shut right where his tail just was. 

“Hickorytail!” Laureltail came running over to her, along with Redpine and his brother, Alderbranch. 

Hickorytail whipped her head around and stared at them, twitching and drooling. 

“Hickorytail, please calm down,” Laureltail pleaded. “It’s okay.” 

With a screech, Hickorytail leaped at the other queen. Then Redpine pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. Hickorytail writhed and screeched from under the massive tom’s paws. 

“It’s no use,” he told the trembling Laureltail. “She’s completely lost her mind, like that fox.”

Looking up the tree, Redpine said, “Mousekit, close your eyes. I don’t want you to see this.” 

Mousekit had no idea what he meant. 

“Mousekit, don’t look!” Laureltail repeated. Her voice was choked, as if she had a bone from fresh-kill stuck in her throat. 

Mousekit still didn’t understand, but he shut his eyes. He couldn’t bear looking at his mother any longer, anyways.

There was a pained screech, followed by a sickening tearing sound, and then silence. After what seemed like an eternity, Mousekit dared to open his eyes. What he saw caused him to slide down the bark and tumble to the ground. 

Hickorytail lay beneath Redpine’s paws, her throat torn open by long claw marks. Blood oozed around her in a puddle. Her jaws were opened in a silent scream, still frothing with foam. 

“You…you killed her…” Mousekit choked. 

“I had to.” Redpine turned to Mousekit, his voice thick with pain. “I'm so sorry. But if she’d bitten someone else, they would have gotten sick too.” 

“YOU KILLED HER!” Mousekit flung himself at the deputy. Just before his claws sunk into Redpine’s thick fur, Alderbranch pulled him away. 

“YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER!” Mousekit screamed over and over, until his voice was raw and died to whimpers. He was hardly aware of being carried back to the nursery and gently placed in Hickorytail’s nest, which was still warm and held her scent. Mousekit buried his face in the bedding, shutting out the world and wishing that Redpine had killed him too.

 

Mousekit sat numbly beside Laureltail, staring at his mother’s dead body. Night had fallen, and the Clan was gathered for a vigil. Bits of rosemary had been sprinkled along Hickorytail’s pelt to mask the scents of disease and death. The foam had been washed away from her jaws with soaked moss, and the throat wound Redpine had dealt was hidden under a thick layer of cobwebs. Hickorytail almost seemed peaceful, lying there in the clearing. But all Mousekit could think of was the agonized screaming and twitching that had accompanied her death. 

Next to him, Laureltail’s head was bowed in grief. At least she could share his pain, as Hickorytail had been her sister. Mousekit could make out Marshpool’s dark brown pelt among the crowd of cats, but couldn’t see his face. Was he bowing his head too?

“We’re gathered here tonight to honor our fallen Clan mate, Hickorytail,” Rainstar spoke. The ForestClan leader raised his shaggy gray head to the sky and gazed at the stars. “She was a loyal warrior and a good mother to her kit. It’s a shame that she died so young, and in such a terrible way, but StarClan is with her now. She will always be a part of ForestClan, even if we can’t see her.” 

Laureltail and Blossomnight made their way into the center of the crowd, where they shared tongues with their den mate for the last time. Mousekit crept up behind them, his legs trembling. Hickorytail looked as though she were asleep. He pressed his face into her fur, hoping that she would awaken. But her body was cold and stiff. 

After a while, the three elders of the Clan—Gingerbush, Scarletfern, and Hollyfrost—gathered around Hickorytail’s body, carefully lifted it, and carried it to the tunnel. Mousekit followed everyone on numb paws through the passageway, which was completely dark in the night. His whole body pulsed with terror—it was as if he were being swallowed into an endless black void. The only thing keeping him from running back to the camp were the scents and sounds of his Clan mates around him, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. 

At last, they reached the burial site. Thousands of stars twinkled brightly up above in the deep purple sky. Mousekit gazed at them, wondering if Hickorytail was among them. Was she watching him? Was her mind clear again? 

As the elders and senior warriors dug the grave for his mother, Mousekit stared at her body. He kept waiting for her to wake up and tell everyone that she’d just been unconscious. But she remained still as a stone. There was deep sadness in Redpine’s eyes as he helped with the digging, though Mousekit could not help but hate him. Silverdust could have made Hickorytail better, had he not killed her. 

_You’re the worst deputy ever!_ he spat silently. 

At last, the grave was finished. Hickorytail’s body was gently lowered into it, and then covered with the loose dirt—disappearing from sight forever. Mousekit collapsed to the ground and pressed his face into the grass. He couldn’t bear to watch—it was as if he was losing his mother all over again. When it was finally over, and everyone headed back towards the tunnel, he didn’t follow them. Mousekit crawled to his mother’s grave and rested his chin on the mound of dirt. 

“Mousekit.” He heard Laureltail’s gentle voice in his ear. “Come on, Mousekit, let’s get you back to the nursery.”

He pretended not to hear. When Laureltail gently tugged at his scruff, he let out a furious hiss. 

“Alright,” the queen sighed sadly. “You can stay here for a while, if you need to. But you’re welcome to come back to the nursery and sleep in my nest whenever you feel like it.”

Laureltail turned and disappeared into the tunnel. 

_I’m not ever going back to camp,_ Mousekit thought. _I’m staying here until I die. Then I’ll go to StarClan to be with my mother._


	5. Chapter 5

Mousekit lay curled up in the shade, miserably watching Buckkit and Doekit batting an acorn back and forth between each other. Laureltail watched them as she shared tongues with her mate, Antlerclaw. The camp was full of busy cats going about their day, like always. No one seemed to notice Mousekit. 

A moon had passed since Hickorytail’s death. Mousekit had stayed by her grave for three sunrises, fiercely resisting any cat that tried to take him away. He’d been determined to die beside his mother’s grave. But intense hunger and thirst had eventually driven him back to the camp. Laureltail had allowed him to sleep in her nest that night, but he was much bigger than her kits, who complained that he was squashing them. He’d then gone back to Hickorytail’s old nest, which was cold now, but still had a faint trace of her scent. Mousekit spent most of his days sleeping now, as dreams about his mother were his only comfort. 

Wolfkit and Foxkit had moved out of the nursery, now that they were six moons old. They had begun their apprentice training just a few sunrises ago. Wolfpaw had been given Alderbranch as his mentor, while Foxpaw had been assigned to Alderbranch’s mate, Brackenlight. Though Mousekit was only a few sunrises younger than his former den mates, he had no desire to become an apprentice. What was the point, if his mother wasn’t here to watch him grow up into a warrior? Rainstar had taken pity on him and allowed him to stay in the nursery for a little while longer—though Mousekit knew that eventually, he’d be forced into apprenticeship. He wasn’t looking forward to it. 

Just then, a patrol came back carrying fresh-kill. Mosspaw was among them, along with the oldest apprentices, Flamepaw and Sunpaw. The two sisters were fully grown now, and would probably receive their warrior names very soon. Meanwhile, Branchpaw was in the entrance to the elder’s den, kicking a wad of soiled bedding outside. Ever since he’d dared Mousekit to climb the tree, his mentor, Icefang, had made him care for the elders several times a day as punishment. Mousekit thought that two moons of this was a bit too harsh, but at the same time, he was grateful for Branchpaw being too busy to bother him.

Redpine came over to the patrol. “No reports of sick animals?” he asked. “I’ve been nervous ever since Alderbranch saw a badger stumbling around the other day.” 

A golden tabby named Beestrike shook his head. “No, there was no sign of it. It may be dead by now.”

The first few days after Hickorytail’s death, the Clan had been gripped with paranoia. Some cats had panicked, believing they might be infected with the disease that made their Clan mate go mad. However, Silverdust had calmed them down by suggesting the disease was spread through bites—as several cats had been exposed to the sick fox, but only Hickorytail had been bitten. It seemed the medicine cat was right, as no other cats had fallen ill. This had restored calmness to ForestClan, but all the patrols were still on high alert for animals that behaved strangely or foamed at the mouth. 

The patrol deposited the fresh-kill they’d caught on the pile. Once pieces of it had been brought to the elders and Laureltail’s kits, everyone else settled down to eat. They all gathered in groups, chattering amongst each other. Mousekit remained where he was. He was about to drift back off to sleep, when suddenly, Flamepaw came padding up to him with a shrew in her jaws. 

“Hey Mousekit!” she said, placing the prey before him. “Marshpool caught this for you.”

 _Why couldn’t he have given it to me himself?_ Mousekit thought angrily. But he nodded to Flamepaw and muttered, “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Flamepaw then went off to share a crow with Sunpaw. Mousekit was simultaneously irritated and envious of her chipper attitude. 

_It must be nice having a family that does everything with you,_ he thought bitterly. Even after he’d lost his mother, Marshpool barely acknowledged his existence. Laureltail had told Mousekit that his father didn’t hate him—he was just awkward around kits and didn’t know how to be a father.

 _He could at least try,_ Mousekit snarled silently. He looked across the camp and saw the dark brown tom sharing fresh-kill with some other warriors, as if the mother of his kit wasn’t dead and everything was fine. Mousekit pushed away the shrew and turned his back to it. He hated Marshpool. He hated everyone.

“Hey, Mousekit!” 

Startled by the voice, he lifted his head to see that Mosspaw was beckoning to him. The young tom was eating fresh-kill with his parents, Brownberry and Cedarstep. 

“Want to come eat with us?” he called to Mousekit. 

Mousekit was so surprised he didn’t know how to respond at first. But then, after a moment’s hesitation, he nodded, picked up the shrew, and went over to join Mosspaw and his family. 

“Hi there, Mousekit,” said Cedarstep. He was the largest cat in ForestClan, with powerful muscles rippling under his dark brown tabby coat. Mousekit had always been a bit afraid of him, but to his surprise, Cedarstep had a fairly normal, un-intimidating voice. 

“Hi,” Mousekit replied shyly. 

“Our patrol caught so much prey today,” said Mosspaw. “You ought to become an apprentice, Mousekit. It’s fun.”

Mousekit only gave a grunt in response. He bit into his shrew.

“I remember when I first became an apprentice,” said Cedarstep. He looked right at Mousekit. “I was excited, but it was difficult for me, too.”

Mousekit cocked his head questioningly, his mouth too full of shrew meat to speak.

“I also lost my mother when I was a kit,” said Cedarstep softly. “She died of greencough. It was the worst day of my life. A few sunrises later, I had to start my apprenticeship, and I wasn’t excited at all.”

The pain in the warrior’s amber eyes was one that Mousekit immediately resonated with. Up until this moment, he’d believed that no one in ForestClan had ever experienced such terrible grief for a loved one like he had. But now it seemed that wasn’t true. 

“You know, it was kind of hard for me to start my apprenticeship as well,” Mosspaw spoke up. “I was sad because my sister, Chervilkit, died when she was so little and couldn’t become an apprentice along with me and Branchpaw.”

Mousekit nodded sympathetically. A vague memory came to his mind from when he was a very young kit, of Cedarstep carrying a tiny limp bundle out of the nursery and Brownberry moaning with grief as she curled tightly around her remaining kits. But now, she was happily talking and eating with her family. 

_Is it really possible for such a horrible pain to fade?_ Mousekit wondered.

Just then, Branchpaw came over, his expression a very grouchy one. 

“Hey there,” Cedarstep greeted his son. “Done taking care of the elders for the day?”

“This is stupid!” Branchpaw growled. “Icefang has made my punishment go on for way too long. Can you tell him to lighten up?” 

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Cedarstep. 

Branchpaw glared at Mousekit. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I invited him to share fresh-kill with us,” Mosspaw told his brother. With a slight edge to his mew, he asked, “Is there a problem with that?” 

Branchpaw glowered at both of them for several long moments. Then, with a grunt, he turned and went to select something from the fresh-kill pile. 

“Please forgive my son for being so rude,” Cedarstep apologized. “He has a habit of working himself to the point where he’s exhausted and grumpy.” 

_I think he’s grumpy no matter what,_ thought Mousekit. 

Just then, a screech erupted from the entrance to the camp. Brightheather and Lioncloud, who had been guarding the entrance to the camp, came hurrying into view with their pelts bristled out to twice their size. 

“BADGER!” Brightheather yowled. “It’s sick! Everyone get in the dens or climb a tree!”

The light brown she-cat hurled herself up the trunk of a tree just as a huge black and white shape came crashing into the camp, bringing with it the nauseating scent of sickness that Hickorytail had given off in her last days. Mousekit’s blood turned to ice. He had never seen such an enormous creature in his life.

The badger swung its striped head back and forth, blinking in confusion. Then, it focused its bright, feverish eyes on Doekit and Buckkit, who were in the center of the camp, frozen in terror. The badger’s forelegs quivered. Drool trickled from its open mouth. And then, with a hysterical roar, it lunged at the kits. 

_“No!”_

Laureltail dove on top of her babies, shielding them with her body. Just before the badger clamped its huge jaws down on her spine, a flash of ginger flew through the air. Flamepaw wrapped her forelegs around the badger’s neck, screeching wildly and slashing at it with her hind claws. Mousekit watched in amazement as the badger shook her back and forth, but the apprentice kept her grip. 

While Flamepaw battled the crazed animal, Laureltail hurried her kits into the nursery. Once they were in, Antlerclaw stood protectively in front of the entrance, his back arched and dark brown fur bristling. Other cats watched the fight from up in the trees or in their dens. Mousekit, however, was frozen to the spot, transfixed by Flamepaw’s movements. She held on tight, but badger eventually managed to fling her off. Flamepaw fell to the ground in a heap—Mousekit screamed as a pair of foaming jaws stretched towards her throat. 

And then, suddenly, Sunpaw was there, clawing at the badger’s hind legs. With a confused, agonized groan, it slowly turned around, bobbing its head up and down, as if it couldn’t see properly. Sunpaw took advantage of this, leaping onto the badger’s back and raking her claws along its spine. In a desperate attempt to dislodge the young cat, the badger dropped to the ground and rolled over—although Sunpaw saw this coming and sprang off of her opponent’s back just in time. Then Flamepaw, who was back on her paws, struck out with her claws and slashed at the badger’s belly, creating a bloody wound. The badger roared, flailing its paws and trying to stand back up. One of its paws hit Flamepaw in the face, sending the dark ginger she-cat toppling back to the ground. 

“Flamepaw!” Sunpaw screeched. She moved to try and help her sister, but was kicked by the badger’s hind leg, causing for her too to fall down. Just before the badger got to Flamepaw, however, Mousekit had leaped through the air, and landed on the giant animal’s head. The badger let out a loud grunt of confusion. Taking advantage of his light weight, Mousekit sprang from his enemy’s head to its back just before he could be shaken off. The badger spun around in furious circles—Mousekit clung to its pelt, desperate to stay on. 

And then, amidst the blurriness, he saw Flamepaw charging at the badger with a stick in her jaws. With a swift movement, she plunged the sharp end of it deep into the badger’s throat. It stopped spinning, letting out a gurgling scream, which was then silenced by waterfall of blood that poured from its mouth. With heaving, tortured breaths, the badger collapsed on its side. Flamepaw managed to grab Mousekit by the scruff just before he was squashed beneath it. 

Mousekit sat there trembling, his back pressed up against Flamepaw’s chest, as he stared wordlessly at the dying badger. Its legs convulsed for a few moments, and then went still. Blood continued to trickle from its punctured throat, creating a small stream in the grass. Its eyes rolled back in its head, showing nothing but white. Its mouth was open in a silent scream, with its fangs covered in a pink mixture of blood and foam. 

For several long moments, the camp was dead silent. Cats began to slowly climb down from the trees and emerge from their dens, all staring wide-eyed at the grisly sight. Then, suddenly Alderbranch and Brackenlight came running into camp, with Wolfpaw and Foxpaw just behind them. Upon seeing Flamepaw and Sunpaw—who were their daughters—standing next to the slain badger with bloodied claws, they rushed over to them. 

“Oh StarClan, are you alright!?” Brackenlight gasped, sniffing her kits all over. “We were out training with Foxpaw and Wolfpaw, and we heard horrible noises coming from the camp, so we came running…”

“We’re fine,” Sunpaw reassured her mother. “That badger had the disease—it came into the camp, but we fought it, and then Flamepaw killed it.”

“Did it bite you?” Alderbranch’s voice was taught with fear. 

“No, any blood that’s on us is not our own,” said Sunpaw. “We were careful to avoid its jaws.”

Flamepaw then spoke up, looking down at Mousekit. “It was because of Mousekit we were able to finish off the badger,” she told her parents. “He saved me just before it was about to bite me, by jumping on its head. While it was distracted, I grabbed a sharp stick and plunged it into the badger’s throat. The poor thing looked like it was in so much pain…I hope it’s not suffering anymore.”

Alderbranch and Brackenlight stared at their kits with awe and pride. As Brackenlight nuzzled them, Alderbranch gently touched his nose to Mousekit’s.

“You saved my daughter’s life,” he purred. “Thank you for being so brave, Mousekit.”

“Mousekit! Flamepaw! Sunpaw!” the entire Clan began to loudly chant the three heroes’ names, to the point where Rainstar had to raise his tail as a signal to quiet them. 

“These young cats have shown remarkable courage today,” the ForestClan leader rumbled. “I believe this would be the perfect time to make Flamepaw and Sunpaw warriors.”

The two sisters exchanged excited glances, and then approached Rainstar. 

“Do you two promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” the longhaired gray tom rumbled.

“We do,” the sisters echoed. 

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you each a warrior name,” said Rainstar. “Flamepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Flamespirit. And Sunpaw, you will be known as Suntail. StarClan honors your fearlessness, and we welcome you as full members of ForestClan.” 

“Flamespirit! Suntail!” the Clan chanted. Mousekit yowled their names to the sky, hoping that Hickorytail could hear him. 

_Did you see me helping them fight, Mother? Are you proud of me?_

As the yowls died down, Rainstar called out Mousekit’s name. The little tom froze, staring at his leader. 

“Mousekit, you deserve to be recognized as well,” said Rainstar. “Would you like to become an apprentice today?”

Mousekit didn’t know how to respond. His throat tightened up and his body trembled with emotion. But eventually, he managed to squeak, “Yes, I would!” 

He slowly came to stand beside Flamespirit and Suntail, who looked at him with warm affection. 

“Mousekit, from now on, you will be known as Mousepaw,” said Rainstar. “I’m assigning you Cedarstep as your mentor. He is a wise cat—you will learn a lot from him. That is, if Cedarstep is alright with it.”

“I’m perfectly alright with it,” Cedarstep purred, stepping out from the crowd. Touching his nose to Mousepaw’s, the large warrior said, “I am honored to train such a brave cat.”

“Mousepaw! Mousepaw! Mousepaw!” 

The newly made apprentice was dizzied by all that had just happened. He swayed back and forth on his paws as for the first time in his life everyone in the Clan was paying attention to him, and praising him for something he had done. He could hear Marshpool's voice among the crowd, loudly yowling his son's name. A sense of warmth spread all throughout Mousepaw, making him purr. He then caught a glimpse of Branchpaw sitting towards the back of the crowd, looking down at his paws as if embarrassed that he had hid from the badger instead of fighting it. 

_Ha, coward!_ Mousepaw taunted him silently. _I’m going to be a greater warrior than you ever will!_


End file.
